Psalm 57:1
“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.”
No matter where we live, we are faced with the storms of life. Growing up in California, I was constantly reminded of the great earthquake that was looming on the horizon. We were told that because of the fault lines, one day California would fall into the sea. Upon moving to Florida, the new fear was the hurricane. A few years back, a particularly large hurricane had developed in the warm waters of the South Atlantic. The atmospheric conditions were such to allow this storm to grow larger and larger as it traveled north. All of the models had it making landfall just outside of my home town. Having never experienced a hurricane before, I was glued to the Weather Channel for information. A hurricane this large had never been tracked before; it was larger than the state of Texas, and had wind speeds over 140 mph. People up and down the coast of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina were heading west for safety. One news station reported that hotels, as far as Kentucky were filling up, as people searched for a safe place in the storm. I felt stuck. I did not know where to go. In a last-minute decision, we drove across the state and stayed with friends, figuring though we might not be avoiding the storm, at least we would have the comfort of going through it together. Fortunately, the storm moved north, missing Florida all together, and reducing in size drastically as it met cooler waters. I came to the realization, no matter where we live, we are faced with the storms of life, and must determine where we will run for safety.
David, facing the calamities of a wicked king seeking to destroy his life, fled to the Caves of Adullum. However, it was not the security of this hidden cave that comforted him. Instead, he writes, “And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge.” True peace will only come when we make the Lord our hiding place. Scripture is filled with invitations to come to Him, no matter what storms we are facing, and find safety, rest, peace and even guidance.
“. . . casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
“Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
Will you make the shadow of His wings your hiding place today?
Pastor Jim
Questions for Psalm 57
This Psalm is entitled “Prayer for Safety”
- Verse 2, “I will cry out to God Most High. To God who performs all things for me.” God performing all things for you, do you understand what David means? Verse 3 puts this in perspective. How can this change your perspective?
- Verse 5 & 11 should not only be read but be put into practice in our lives. What in your life need to be replaced by God being exalted?
Old Testament:
Psalm 58- Respond In Love
1 Kings 3- Divided Heart
1 Kings 4- Wisdom
Jim Gallagher 